flip'n travels

It was in 3^rd grade when I started sketching different world landmarks at the back pages of my notebook as solution to the lethal boredom during math classes. Eifel tower, Statue of Liberty, Sydney opera house, pyramids of Giza and my favorite, The Great wall of China.

Up to this point, it still amazes me that a construction of this enormity took place out of some twisted idea of an emperor consumed by megalomania. But this paranoia byproduct transcended through time, generations and inspired an entire cultural identity.

Originally built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups such as the Xiongnu from the north and rebuilt and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has recently concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi).

It was built by over a million people who happened to be frontier guards, peasants, unemployed intellectuals, disgraced noblemen, and convicts. In fact, there existed a special penalty during the Qin and Han dynasties under which convicted criminals were made to work on the Wall. Thousands of them died in the process.

OK Stop! Too much text book!

I initially intended to check-out the Badaling portion of the wall. Apparently, it is the most popular among tourist, so expect a very crowded FB picture. Badaling wall is actually new, so in essence it’s nothing but a good replica of the real thing. So, Badaling–out the window.

That left me with three options: Mutianyu, Simatai and Jinshanling. But when they told me that the Jinshanling wall will take 6 hours to traverse its steep ups and downs, and the fact that few days before that, I was climbing the highest mountain in South East Asia. So I straightforwardly refused. That narrowed down the options to two.

Until it dawned on me that I actually had no choice but to join a group tour to save on transportation expenses, and the only tour available that time–was the one heading to Jinshanling.

GREAT! I guess I’ll just have to brave another 6-hour death march.

I shed-off around 350 RMB which includes the bus ride from the hostel, breakfast, lunch and park entrance. I joined a group of backpackers, all of which are from Europe and the Mainland US. I was the only one from the Asia Pacific region.

Fed, a chef from Rome Italy, who happened to be at his last leg of a three month Asian backpacking project, walked along with me as we were the only two guys among the pack who smoke, we instantly cliqued.

We were all excited, (who wouldn’t?) Fed and I were singing and goofing around while we climbed up the first observation tower. We both stood there looking at the wall reaching as far as the horizon, We uttered words of amazement.

The Jinshanling Great Wall is located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Beijing, a literal wall barrier between Luanping and Inner Mongolia.  It features complicated and well preserved fortification systems. The walls are more solid, the watchtowers are taller and it retains its original Ming Dynasty appearance. Here you can see the Wall relatively undisturbed and in its original condition. The wall follows the contours of the mountains, and stretches off into the distance. The wall has not been restored, so it has a special beauty. It is the section that foreign visitors like the most.

The Jinshanling section of the Great Wall is 10.5 km long with 5 passes, 67 towers and 2 beacon towers. The initial section of the wall has been restored to original condition, but the condition of the wall deteriorates towards its natural state as it approaches Simatai. The entrance fee is 40 RMB. A cable car has been constructed to take visitors to the highest point along the wall. There is an additional admission charge of 50 RMB to continue on to the Simatai section (all inclusive in our package), except for the 10 RMB fee to cross the suspension bridge.

Fed and I took our time walking, we were stopping to sit every once in a while, took our cameras and sketch pads out and started clicking, doodling or simply, sitting quietly, thinking nothing. He was singing what seemed to be like an Italian opera and I was singing… err… a Katy Perry. We were having a blast, until our non-english speaking guide started sending hand signals asking us to hurry up.

But NO! We were both adamant, we were not hurrying to catch up with the rest of the pack. For god’s sake we waited all our lives for this moment and nobody, not even Tim Gunn, will hurry us up. We savored each and every step of that whole 10 kilometer stretch of the wall!

The whole 10 km is enough to have the chance to get acquainted with other travelers. And that’s my favorite part of backpacking, getting to know different people with different backgrounds and stories. I got some 30 minutes of chatting with a guy I called Texas, who called me Hawaii in return, he also took most of my photos on the wall. I also had around an hour bonding with two young students from Sweden who are both in their year-long sabbatical leave before continuing on to becoming a physician and a sound engineer.

But the most interesting hour of that whole trek/acquaintance party is the one with Marlena, for some reason she effortlessly compelled me to a profound and more sensible discussion. We talked about culture, fashion, work and we exchanged views on topics from traveling, to principles and a more serious subjects like life. A huge part of that conversation made me think and reflect on the past years of my journey.

This trip to the great wall became more meaningful, it was more just another fulfillment of a childhood dream. The journey on the wall was like a representation of my life as it moves forward somewhere.

Beverly Sills once quoted, “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” All the mishaps I braved just to see the wall (the long train ride from Shanghai, the struggles in communication and the cold nights at the terminal) was after all, worth it. I had a practical application of the virtue patience and it definitely taught me a good lesson on perseverance. Life doesn’t end on reaching your projected destination, you can’t just look at it and enjoy the view, you should walk through it. Because it is a continuation of a journey.

When the trail finally ended, I paused for the last time. I wasn’t sure if I am going to see this wall again in this lifetime. In life, second chances are rare so make the best out of the first. So I literrally hugged a part of the wall terrace and kissed it goodbye. Xiexie Zhege Lucheng!

Few minutes away from Qianmen square via subway is the Olympic green. Right after Beijing’s event of the century in 2008, this became second most popular destination following the Great Wall. During the time of the Olympic events, we were in Hong Kong and pretending to attend the Olympics even though the only event in HK then was Equestrian. So when I got this chance to visit Beijing, I made sure to check out and see the actual event venue in flesh.

It was reported that total spending on the games was “generally as much as that of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games”, which was about 15 billion US dollars. Other sources, however, estimated that approximately $40 billion had been spent on the Games, which would make it the most expensive Olympic Games by a wide margin.

Thanks to the 2008 Olympics, the transportation system is way better now as compared to how it was before. Beijing’s transportation infrastructure was expanded significantly to prepare for Olympic visitors. Beijing’s airport underwent a major renovation with the addition of the new Terminal 3, the world’s largest airport terminal, designed by renowned architect Norman Foster.

Within the city itself, Beijing’s subway doubled its capacity and overall size, adding an additional 7 lines and 80 stations to the previously existing 4 lines and 64 stations. Included in this expansion was a new link connecting directly to the city’s airport. Also, a fleet of thousands of buses, minibuses and official cars transported spectators, athletes and officials between venues. After the event, these are still being used commercially.

The subway fare is RMB2 no matter how far your destination will be. This is something I didn’t know so on my way to the Olympic green, I was paying 2 yuans every time there’s an interchange.  tsk tsk tsk.

Upon ascending from the subway, a huge open field and strong freezing wind welcomed me. I started walking and the sight of the bird’s nest shut me quiet. The centrepiece of the 2008 Summer Olympics was the Beijing National Stadium, nicknamed “The Bird’s Nest” because of its nest-like skeletal structure. The stadium hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics competition. Construction of the venue began on December 24, 2003 and cost US$423 million, just so you know.

I asked one of the guards to take a picture of me, mind you, I put it on auto but he insisted using manual.

There were crowds of tourist that time, but because of the vast open air, the place was still muffled quiet. I thought it was the perfect time to walk around and waste time lulling around while waiting for the spectacular night lights of the infamous structures. I sat down and started opening a book when someone poked me from behind as it almost made me jump-off the bench. A lady selling me key chains and glass replica of the stadium, which I eventually regretted buying because it was an additional 2.5 kg on my backpack.

And because I get easily convinced by charm, I also bought a couple of Olympic souvenir key chain at 20 RMB. Pretty much a good buy considering the quality of the product and Monette and I were long been looking for it. Until another one came selling me the same keychain at 15 RMB. After which another vendor sold it to me at 20 RMB for two. That’s it, I got ripped, FINE! Then another guy approached me and gave the key chains at 5 RMB. I got a total of 15 pieces all in all and I bought them at different amounts.

The National Aquatics Center or the “water cube” (which is actually a cuboid not a cube [NERD!]) is the largest ETFE structure in the world. The entire structure is covered with water bubbles made with ETFE or Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, also known as Polymer or Plastics.

FACTS: This structure witnessed the launching of the newly introduced faster Speedo LZR Racer swim suit and saw 25 world records broken during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The sight of the bird’s nest on my right and water cube on my left is so majestic and it became even more magical with the lights on, like humongous light-up toys. I stared for more than an hour until the cold breeze became unbearable, I packed my tripod and cameras and rushed off to the subway, it became painfully cold when I realized the subway entrance is 15 minutes walk from where I was.

I gave my body a favor and lied down on my bed. That was the first time I comfortably stretched my body in the last 42 hours. It was a glorious moment and I just want to retire to dreamland, but it was not that easy, my mind is not cooperating, I was too excited to walk around and start my date with Beijing and I can’t keep my mind off the pre-conceived images in my head. So I procrastinated on sleeping, it was 3 in the afternoon and 3 PM is 9 AM in backpacker time.

Late afternoons in Beijing during early spring can still be freezing. With temperature dropping to 5 degrees, it can truly hurt tropical dwellers like me. FYI, I have never experienced a spring before. I grew up in a country with two shifting seasons: Dusty and Muddy. That was why experiencing spring for the first time is more of exciting than excruciating.

The visuals of spring season in this part of Asia is magical, specially when the blossoms are starting to come back to life from a long winter sleep. The foggy (or smoggy) city scape added up to the drama when it is photographed. And the diffused surrounding and gloomy feel are another characteristics of the city that made my walk a very interesting one.

Qianmen or locally known as Zhengyangmen means the “Front Gate”  is the first to greet the tourist if you are heading to Tiananmen and the Forbidden city. The mere presence of its grandeur and unique design will definitely give you goose bumps and will let you realize that you are indeed in China. The Qianmen remains one of the enduring symbols of old Beijing.

Behind the Qianmen is the Tiananmen Square, the largest city square in the world (440,000 m² – 880 m by 500 m). It has been the site of many events, among them a gathering of pro-democracy protesters in 1989. The protest ended when hundreds of these protesters were killed by government troops in the streets leading from the square. Very ironic that the name Tiananmen means the Gate of Heavenly Peace.

Today, thousandths of visitors flock to the square to visit Mao’s Mausoleum. Mid-day when it gets really crowded and 85% of the tourists are Chinese, a fellow backpacker told me that it is always like that every single day of the year. That’s when you will realize the magnitude of the country’s population, well, I guess that’s 1/5 of the earth’s population for you.

It gets pretty freezing in the morning and afternoon due to the fact that it’s an open ground and nothing will break the blowing winds. It was the time that I actually walked to explore and not run to catch a train or bus schedule, so I made sure to enjoy every single moment of it by taking my time.

Here’s another tripod shot right behind Qianmen

The newly restored Qianmen street has a cultural feel as if you went back in time to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Imperial arches, bird cages, street lanterns and traditional architectures were reconstructed to capture the mood of old Beijing. And when the sun goes down, the whole stretch of this city axis transforms from nostalgic to a magical town right before your eyes.

It was eight in the evening and the city is still very much alive, my hostel is just right behind this main street and I want to maximize my waking ours while I’m in China. So despite the fact that my earlobes and lips are so crisp it feels like it will shatter anytime soon, I still decided to just sit on a bench and start my favorite past time–people watching.

Is it just me or it really feels like Christmas in the middle of April? With the lights studded street, I kind of feel like a Coca Cola Christmas truck will come running across the busy street.

Slowly, while munching on some rice cakes I bought from the street carts, sleeplessness started taking toll on me. That’s the point when I just want to teleport back to shanglin. I walked as fast as I could, one by one the stores started closing down on me. I checked my watch and it was half past ten in the evening. The moment I reached the hostel, I went up straight to my room bypassing my routinary chitchatting with the receptionists. Without changing my clothes and taking off my shoes, like a marionette I let my body drop freely on the cold comforter. And I immediately spiralled down to the rabbit hole.

After the energy draining, butt bruising, slip-disk inducing train ride, I roamed around the divisoria-ish crowded Beijing Train station to look for a tourist booking counter to try my luck in upgrading my ticket back to Shanghai. Well I guess my lucky star just exploded to a Justin Bieber (???)–I re-booked, only to find out I got a train ride to Inner Mongolian border to Siberia. Pfrt!

I got too exhausted looking for a map to take me to the subway to my Hostel, so I flagged a cab and got ripped off, so that was 80 RMB out the window only to find out that my Hostel is a station away from where I got the rickety, mold smelling, overpriced cab…GREAT! But then again I was too tired to dwell and whine about it.

I walked several meters towards my hostel. Shanxixiang hutong alley is very reminiscent of a typical neighborhood in Sampaloc, an antithesis of how most of the touristy Beijing is portrayed in coffee table books. It’s authentic, unassuming and candid community is what I was really looking for. Street vendors selling pork buns and all sorts of skewed delights, Chinese kids playing Chinese garter (seriously!) and senior citizens sitting in a corner playing (Well, who would have thought?) Chinese checkers—It was like a scene from a movie. While slowly walking, I couldn’t help but utter the words “I am loving this.”

But it was too cold to cruise around, so upon reaching the doorstep, I immediately opened the two swinging doors. I was astounded with what I saw, the hostel’s interior was so amazing it took my breath away. It is an old courtyard! Yes, I actually stayed in a 300 year old brothel courtyard.

“I am sleeping in a museum tonight.”

I’m not exaggerating, Shanglin Hostel is a historical landmark, one of the well preserved hutong houses that dates back to the Qing Dynasty. It definitely does not have the luxury of first class hotels, but who would want to stay in a modern room when you’re in the middle of the cultural capital of ancient Asia? For a sweet price of RMB 60 per night, you have a warm place to sleep in a four bed dormitory.

I was actually alone that time so I pretty much maximized the resources of the hostel. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! It comes with free tourists every morning. You bet, the following morning, still half awake I opened my door to go to the terrace, to my surprise the courtyard was filled with a flock of yakking tourists, with all eyes on me.

Okay! Early morning deer in the headlights wearing  nothing but boxers.

I got the idea about Shanglin from Sir Robert Alejandro’s Backpack South East Asia book. It was featured briefly but the authenticity of the place lured me. I actually brought the book with me and showed it to the one of the owners of the place, Leo. He is a young businessman who has a fascination with old Chinese artifacts and anything old (I should have pledged to send him Lilia Cuntapay for his birthday). He also owns the other more popular hostel named after him.

I was sitting in the courtyard when he approached me and started a conversation, he even ordered a pot of tea for us. Then I got the chance to pull out the book from my bag and asked if he had seen it before. He was clueless, but when I flipped the page to reveal a sketch of his hostel, he almost jumped off his seat. Leo got too excited when he saw the page about his hostel and showed it to his staff and other visitors.

He started ordering food for us to feast on while talking about Robert, the author of the book

the sweet and spicy Mao’s pork brisket

The popular Da Zha Lan Xi Jie, the whole stretch of steet lined with hostels, restaurants, shops and all imaginable tourist magnet is adjacent to Shanglin where I was staying. I love that cobbled stone streets with a multi-sensory ambiance.

Smell of the Peking duck roasting and steamed buns.

String instruments playing

rickshaw and bicycles bumping your elbow on a five minute interval.

It is the tourist haven in Beijing, the prices of food and souvenir items are usually at 300% mark-up so make sure you haggle before you pull out your wallet to pay. You will be surprised with how low the prices can go, like dirt cheap. I enjoyed walking along this area, no matter what time of the day. Nights are particularly fun because of the interesting things you’ll stumble upon, from street performers to stalls selling all sorts of trinkets. But the early morning is my personal favorite, when the streets are blanketed with heavy fog and a certain air of stillness enveloping the place. And since the stores are still closed, most of the people during that time are the locals taking an early morning walk, eating breakfast and prepping up to open the shops.

The hutong houses are fast vanishing, some are being renovated while others are unfortunately being demolished by private owners. I am lucky and glad that I got to experience them first hand.